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Portuguese digital television service, Vodafone Casa TV, is now available to Gold members of Xbox Live. In fact, the company is even promoting a special IPTV Xbox 360 bundle there, which includes an Elite console, 12 months of subscription for Xbox Live Gold and four games -- Lego Batman, Pure, Fable 2 and Halo 3 -- all for €259 (about $375).

The Vodafone Casa TV service not only lets you watch on-demand TV through your Xbox 360, but also grants Portuguese patrons the ability to access content from their set-top boxes and set times for their set-top box to record live television. While users won't be able to directly record content to their Xbox 360, they can still access certain functions of the console while streaming content, including private chat and accepting game invites.

Existing Vodafone Casa TV subscribers with an Xbox 360 can snag the software for a mere €9.90.

[Thanks, Assassin Monk]

Microsoft just pulled back the curtain on a brand-new bundle exclusively for our brothers and sisters to the north. Aside from a 250GB Xbox 360 Elite console, the bundle also includes a double dose of Bungie goodness: Halo 3 and Halo 3: ODST.

Starting today, you can get your maple syrup-soaked hands on this for a suggested retail price of $399.99 CAD. If you're a US gamer wondering why we didn't get this piece of gear down here, relax -- let Canada win this one! You have any idea how many driveways a Canadian has to shovel to earn this thing?

Seems like everyone has to get in on the Elite bundle action these days. Game Watch reports that a new Xbox 360 Elite bundle is headed to Japan, with both Lost Planet: Colonies and Ace Combat 6 baked right in. it also comes packed with the normal Elite goodies -- headset, wireless controller and (incredibly flexible) composite cables. Unfortunately, the bundle fails to meet super Elite status, as it contains only a paltry 120GB hard drive.

Still, at ¥29,980 (~$330), it's not a bad deal. The bundle goes on sale in Japan starting October 29.

The night of All Hallows' Eve is swiftly approaching. We're sure that, by now, you've got a rough outline of what pop culture icon you'll attempt to disguise yourself as. We're also sure that it's not one-tenth as awesome nor as intricate as the Covenant Elite (of Halo fame) costume recently created by YouTube user petemander1. That is, unless your Optimus Prime costume has animatronic, remote-controlled eyes and mandibles. No? It doesn't? That's what we thought.

Check out the two videos posted after the jump to get an early look at Pete's humbling (and slightly terrifying) creation. We'd say we can't wait to see how the full costume turns out, but we've already got plenty of subjects on which to base our nightmares.

Rumored, pictured, and now shipping to retail, the 2009 edition of the Xbox 360 Elite Holiday Bundle ($300) includes a pair of family-friendly titles from last year in Lego Batman and Pure. But, well, you knew that. (Protip: Grab and stash this before October 5 to be eligible for the $50 rebate.)

Also announced today, the Xbox 360 Wireless Controller Game Pack will go on sale in November for $60. The black gamepad and bundle of XBLA titles is so close to perfect with Geometry Wars 2, Lumines Live, Bomberman Live and ... a code for Ms. Pac-Man? Make that a Pac-Man: Championship Edition token and we'd be looking at one of the best gifts you could have given this holiday -- 'cause let's face it, you (should) already own those games.

Oh, and still no official word on that popcorn box o' peripherals.

Prices are sure to vary from region to region (fun fact: it goes for roughly $580 in South Africa), so have a look on your shelves at the start of October, which is when retailers expect the bundle to drop in.

The Xbox 360 price drop has propagated to Japan, with Microsoft announcing new price points roughly commensurate with those of American Xboxes, effective September 10. The Pro is being phased out, with the retail cost of remaining stock now up to retailers, with no "suggested" price from MS. The Elite is dropping from ¥39,800 to ¥29,800 ($322) -- in a new HDMI-free package, of course -- and the Arcade will remain at ¥19,800 ($214). We expect to see deep cuts on the Pro, as retailers seize an opportunity to get Xboxes out of their stores.

Last night, just hours before the price cut announcement went out, we had a chance to talk with Aaron Greenberg – the often outspoken Director of Product Management at Xbox – about the new $300 Elite console, the company's Fall lineup in the absence of Splinter Cell Conviction, Netflix "exclusivity" (whatever that means), the (still!) outrageous price of the WiFi adapter, and whether we're ever going to see Hulu or Groups/Clan support in Xbox Live (those are two of our favorite questions for Aaron). Read on for the complete interview:

Joystiq: Hey Aaron – so what do you have for us today?

Aaron Greenberg: So this may shock you, but effective on Friday we are dropping the price of our Xbox 360 Elite console by $100, dropping that down to $299. At the same time, we are also reducing the price of the Xbox 360 Pro or Premium 60 gig SKU down to $249 -- that will be effective while supplies last. And this will essentially set us up as we head into holiday with a two SKU setup: the $199 white Arcade SKU and then the $299 120 gig Elite black console.

The Elite price is effective Friday?

Yes. The price drop goes into effect at retail on Friday.

So of course we're totally surprised and had no idea this was coming, so any questions that might indicate I was prepared you should just take as good guessing on our part I think.

Right, exactly. So you don't read your own site or anything I guess?

The lifespan of the Xbox 360 Pro looks to be dwindling every day. First, the SKU disappeared from the comparison chart on the Xbox 360 Arcade packaging, and now it looks like the same change has occurred on the Xbox 360 Elite box. Perhaps even more significant is that the Elite has abandoned its traditional (and super 1337) gray packaging for white. White, as it happens, is also the color of Xbox 360 Pro packaging. Coincidence, or proof that the Pro is on its last legs?

One final bit of (somewhat depressing) evidence, the Elite box states that it only includes standard A/V cables. No component, no HDMI, just plain vanilla A/V. In fact, the only features separating the Elite from the Arcade are a headset, an Ethernet cable and the 120GB hard drive. Even assuming the Elite drops to $299, that's not a lot of extras beyond the $199 Arcade model. At least Canada gets Halo 3 and a wireless adapter to make the deal a little sweeter.

Oh, man. This ish just got real, son. Last week, a supposedly leaked Meijer's catalog revealed a $100 price cut for the Xbox 360 Elite SKU -- we weren't sure what to make of it, but a recent Walmart catalog (due to hit stores on August 30) revealing the same exact discount adds a hefty amount of credence to rumors that Microsoft is dropping the price on the console's 120GB SKU. You can see the full ad posted after the jump, courtesy of one of our readers (thanks, Patrick). A few sites have gotten the ad, presumably from different sources, leading us to believe it's not just a high-quality fake.

If it is legitimate -- and the rumors of an Elite price cut end up being true -- then the flames of console war are likely ready to flare up once again. For the first time this console generation, Sony and Microsoft would have two SKUs available at the same price. The resulting struggle for market dominance would be brutal.

Kotaku recently got their hands on a catalog from retail superstore Meijer's which is supposedly due to hit ... catalog stands(?) on August 30. The clipping of interest from this ad book is for a "new lower price" for the Xbox 360 Elite model -- it seems they're slicing $100 off the price of the system, bringing it down to the $299 price point shared by the Pro version.

This fits in nicely with the grand design foreseen by the Ars Technica mole back in June, which claimed Microsoft would completely replace the Pro model with the Elite sometime in September. However, we called nearly a dozen Meijer's locations to try and confirm the cut -- only one Media Center employee had heard about it, and explained that it would be a "week-long sale," and not a permanent price drop.

We're certain to find out more in the near future -- either on August 30, when the catalog (and Elite price) is supposed to drop, or perhaps next week during GamesCom, which some believe will provide a veritable cornucopia of startling announcements.

Yes, we know -- another console price drop story. Our contempt rivals your own, we assure you. However, this time around, the report comes from a source that's proven to be eerily accurate on hardware announcements in the past -- Ars Technica's unnamed "mole," a prophetic figure who managed to predict the capabilities of the PSP Go, the release of the red Resident Evil 5 Xbox 360 bundle and, most notably, last fall's universal 360 price cut.

On the Sony front, the mole is claiming that the 80GB PS3 will become scarce over the next two months, being mostly replaced by the 160GB model. As the larger model continues to sell into the fall, Sony will supposedly simultaneously announce the oft-rumored PS3 Slim and the even more oft-rumored price cut. The mole was unable to discern the exact amount that would be shaved off the price of the console, but was confident it would provide Sony with a much-needed sales boost.

For Microsoft, the mole expects the Pro system to be ushered off store shelves with the help of a few attractive Pro bundles which will crop up over the next few months. The Pro will be replaced by the 120GB Elite, which will supposedly undergo a price cut in September, followed by the release of its own bundles in October. With downloadable titles becoming a focus for both companies, turning the spotlight on consoles with larger hard drives makes sense -- but only time will tell if the Ars mole's sterling predictive reputation will persevere.

The UK-based Entertainment and Leisure Software Publishers Association, or ELSPA for short, has a new face on board. Seasoned game designer David Braben and his crack team of devs at Frontier Developments have joined the trade body, no doubt wooed by the organization's rumored regular meetings to play Twister.

Braben wowed early gamers with his influential space sim, Elite, as well as its 1993 sequel, Frontier. Braben's latest release strayed far from his roots, however, in last year's WiiWare platformer, LostWinds. In joining the ELSPA, Braben says he hopes to help the organization deal with such issues as piracy, ratings and used game sales "swiftly and efficiently." Still, given that the studio's current project, The Outsider, was first announced in 2006, and we're still waiting on Elite IV, we're not convinced speed is how Braben and company roll.

Today, Microsoft revealed a new Xbox 360 Elite bundle headed to store shelves this May. The Xbox 360 Game of the Year bundle includes the little-known online shooter called Halo 3 and Joystiq's 2008 game of the year pick, Fable II. The M-rated bundle is priced at $399, making the two million-plus unit selling pack-in titles free of charge.

Those of you keeping score at home will remember rumors of an elite bundle, which was set to include the two Microsoft Game Studios powerhouse titles, had been floating around the web earlier this month. Microsoft, continuing a long history of totally being able to keep a secret, confirmed the bundle today via Major Nelson's blog.

Update: Major Nelson has clarified this bundle will be available in all regions where Xbox 360 is sold, except those in Europe.